Synopses & Reviews
What if everything you knew about your life was wrong?
Years ago, Juliet Clark gave up her life in California to follow the man she loved to Mexico and pursue her dream of being an artist. Now her marriage is over, and shes alone, selling watercolors to tourists on the Puerto Vallarta boardwalk.
When her brother asks her to come home to wintery New England and care for their ailing mother, a flamboyant actress with a storied past, Juliet goes reluctantly. She and her self-absorbed mother have always clashed. Plus, nobody back home knows about her divorceor the fact that shes pregnant and her ex-husband is not the father.
Juliet intends to get her mother back on her feet and return to Mexico fast, but nothing goes as planned. Instead she meets a man who makes her question every choice and reawakens her spirit, even as she is being drawn into a long-running feud between her mother and a reclusive neighbor. Little does she know that these relationships hold the key to shocking secrets about her family and herself that have been hiding in plain sight.
CONVERSATION GUIDE INCLUDED
Review
“A luminous novel of buried secrets.”—
New York Times bestselling author Caroline Leavitt
"A story about love, loss, secrets, and finding out where we're really supposed to be."—Maddie Dawson, author of The Stuff that Never Happened
"A novel that sings: of love for a child, regret for life, and the quiet triumphs of survival and finding each other again."—Susan Straight, National Book Award nominee for Highwire Moon and author of Between Heaven and Here
"Vivid [and] compassionate."—Margot Livesey
Review
**Chosen by Ladies Home Journal as a Great Summer Read** “A luminous novel of buried secrets.”—New York Times bestselling author Caroline Leavitt
"A story about love, loss, secrets, and finding out where we're really supposed to be."—Maddie Dawson, author of The Stuff that Never Happened
"A novel that sings: of love for a child, regret for life, and the quiet triumphs of survival and finding each other again."—Susan Straight, National Book Award nominee for Highwire Moon and author of Between Heaven and Here
"Vivid [and] compassionate." —Margot Livesey
"Robinson's first novel sparkles with warmth and wit while tackling the prickly sides of a mother-daughter relationship. . .With deeply emotional passages tempered by humor and some surprising romance, Robinson's portrayal of family members striving to forge deeper connections after self-imposed absences is compelling. Fans of Martha Southgate and Heidi W. Durrow will enjoy this tender, full-hearted tale of quiet triumphs, mended fences and new connections."—Booklist
"There are relationship twists aplenty, relationships rearranged and reassessed, relationships that grow and others that die, and brand new relationships to explore. . .Robinson's fiction debut is a good beach read for those who like to reflect on the complexity and messiness of family relationships."—Kirkus Reviews
“So appealing and addictive.”—Novel Escapes (4 ½ stars)
"An easy and engaging read, The Wishing Hill is an excellent choice for book lovers who can relate to the sometimes thorny aspects of family life.”—Merrimack Valley Magazine
Synopsis
Even on their wedding day, John and Irene sensed that they were about to make a mistake. Years later, divorced, dating other people, and living in different parts of the country, they seem to have nothing in common—nothing except the most important person in each of their lives: Sadie, their spirited eighteen-year-old daughter. Feeling smothered by Irene and distanced from John, Sadie is growing more and more attached to her new boyfriend, Ron. When tragedy strikes, Irene and John come together to support the daughter they love so dearly. What takes longer is to remember how they really feel about each other. Elizabeth Berg’s immense talent shines in this unforgettable novel about the power of love, the unshakeable bonds of family, and the beauty of second chances.
About the Author
Elizabeth Berg is the author of many bestselling novels, as well as two collections of short stories and two works of nonfiction.
Open House was an Oprah’s Book Club selection,
Durable Goods and
Joy School were selected as ALA Best Books of the Year, and
Talk Before Sleep was short-listed for an ABBY Award. Berg has been honored by both the Boston Public Library and the Chicago Public Library, and is a recipient of the New England Booksellers Award for her body of work. Her writing has been translated into twenty-seven languages, and she adapted her novel
Pull of the Moon into a play that has been successfully performed on two stages in the Chicago area. Berg lives in Chicago.
From the Hardcover edition.